Keeping Warm
by dabbling
Summary: A blizzard closes the freeway, and a quick trip turns into a long one. B/A story, kinda fluffy. From Bobby's perspective.
1. Chapter 1

Keeping Warm

It's kind of surprising, just how much of this job is spent in a car. This week Alex and I have been to four states and we're currently traveling back to Connecticut to pick up a witness who's due in court tomorrow.

Alex is driving. Alex always drives. Some people think it's a political statement, that I "let" her drive all the time because it shows how much I respect her… "even though she's a woman."

I let them think it. She is an amazing woman, and she has my profound respect.

The truth is: I don't like to drive that much. And since we're drastically different in size it doesn't make much sense to switch off a lot. We'd end up missing all the action because we were too busy adjusting the mirrors.

We had a blizzard last night, and the roads are terrible. Alex is very tense behind the wheel. I haven't been talking to her; she needs to concentrate on the road.

Traffic is at a standstill up ahead, and she masterfully slows the car steadily until we reach the others. I don't think she even had to touch the brake. All we can see in the line is that the cars are stopped. We can't see why. I call it in on the radio, just to find out what's going on.

"Rollover. We had a couple of calls; units are still on the way."

We grab the walkies and our coats and throw them on as we get out of the car. As we jog through the traffic, we pin our badges in a visible place. I get my stocking hat down over my ears. It is frigid today.

The van is resting on its side, blocking two of the lanes while there are two other vehicles at odd angles, blocking the rest. Some good Samaritans are milling around.

"Police," I call, over the wind.

A guy's head pops out of the driver's door of the van. "Everybody in here is hurt," he says. "Mom and three kids. Their belts weren't snug, they've all got possible neck and back injuries. Mom has a broken leg and a head injury. We could open this side door and get them out, but I thought they'd be warmer in here."

Without a word, I give Alex a boost and she climbs in after the guy. I call this latest news in on my radio and go check on the other two vehicles. The truck is banged up pretty good. Its driver is sitting in the first car in the line, holding an old sweatshirt against his bloody head. I check his pupils, he's dilated, but okay for now. I hand him my sunglasses.

The car is crunched on the passenger side and rammed the barrier on the curve. Its driver is a woman in her 50s. She is talking nonstop and very fast. I ask around and somebody finds a blanket for her. She refuses to sit in a stranger's car. I call in the information about these two and appoint a couple of Samaritans to keep an eye on them while I head back to see about the people in the van.

My radio spouts off and I answer. "These geniuses have started using the shoulder to try and get past. Can you clear us a path to get the buses through?"

"Copy that," I say.

After a lot of jogging/walking/yelling and the help of some orange cones on a construction truck, I manage to get a path clear from a turnaround to the accident. As the units and the ambulances come in, I start to realize just how cold I am. My fingers are starting to really hurt. I tuck my hands under my arms as I walk back to find Alex.

She's still inside, helping the man lift the children up and out to the paramedics. They've got neck braces on as a precaution, and the ambulance guys get them on a backboard as soon as they clear the van. It takes a little more work to get the mother out. I step in and offer a hand to the guy who helped and to my partner. Alex shivers when she's fully in the cold again.

"Damn," she complains. We check out with the black and whites and start walking back to the SUV. "You must be frozen solid," she says to me.

I nod. "I'm pretty cold," I say.

We climb in and she starts the engine, fires up the heat. The car has already gotten cold, and it takes a few minutes for warm air to come through the vents.

"They'll be okay," she says. "That guy was a Physician's Assistant, just happened to be on the road today. He took good care of them."

I smile between shivers. "That's good."

"Sounded like you were busy."

"A lot of walking."

"Your toes all right?"

"I can't feel them yet," I reply.

Finally, the cars start inching forward. As we pass the scene, we see the van still in the road, but the other two vehicles have been pulled off to the side. Soon we're up to speed and I strip off my gloves and my hat. My fingers and toes are screaming with pain, now.

"Bobby?"

"Starting to defrost now."

"You got frostbite?"

I chuckle. "No, nothing I haven't felt before. I'm fine."

"I'm pulling off at the next exit. We'll get some coffee."

That's the best thing I've heard all day. "I'm gonna call Connecticut, let 'em know we're running late."

* * *

I am finally warm, and the pain and numbness in my extremities has subsided. I take another sip of coffee and look out the window. It is snowing again. We still have at least an hour on the road before we reach our destination and more snow can only make it take longer. I glance up as Alex walks back from the restroom. She is smiling at me, and I know she feels as strongly as I do that this was a necessary stop.

"You ready?" She asks me.

"I'm gonna get another for the road," I say.

"Good idea. Get me one, too."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It only gets worse. The snow is coming down hard now, a real blizzard. The weather forecast missed this one. Our car is creeping ahead, and Alex can barely see through the windshield.

I am missing my sunglasses.

The wind kicks up and a blast of snow blinds us. "Shit," Alex breathes, and she brings the car to a complete stop. The radio announces that the freeway has been closed. Nice to hear when you're already on it.

Alex hits the flashers in case someone behind us might actually be forging ahead in this. I see Alex push back against the seat and take a deep breath. Driving in this is taking a toll.

"Maybe we should just bag it, get out of this mess and call it a day."

"Whitaker's due in court."

"Weather like this, they'll probably close the courts."

"Until we know that, we can't stop trying."

I nod. She's right. Wouldn't want a killer to walk because we were afraid to brave a little snow and get the star witness to court.

The wind dies down, and we're both shocked to discover the SUV is now buried to the headlights in snow. I grab my coat and wrestle it on while still in the warmth of the SUV. I don gloves next, and then my hat. "We have a shovel?"

"One of those emergency camping ones."

"I got this," I say. I'm struck by the cold wind against my cheeks as I sink up to my knees in snow. The flakes landing on my skin are large and wet. With some effort, I trudge to the back of the vehicle and swing open the back. A couple of minutes of rooting around and I find the tiny camp shovel. I close the door and head to the front of the car, where I dig out the front wheels and as much in front of the bumper as I can. By the time I am finished, my toes are frozen again.

I pile back into the SUV and slam my door shut. Alex gives it her best shot, but we are stuck. The snow is still falling fast. We can see a couple of other cars stranded ahead of us. I verify our location with Eames and call it in on the radio.

"Sit tight. We've got the plows on the way already."

"Copy," I say and replace the radio. I look over at Eames, but she appears to be napping.

"If it keeps coming down like this," she says, opening her eyes and turning to me, "we could be in real trouble."

"Give it a half hour. If we haven't seen or heard anything by then, I'll check on those other cars and we'll settle in for the long haul."

"We, Bobby. We'll check on the other cars."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, we're doing just that. We flipped the light on in the SUV, so people nearby would know we're cops. Dispatch is saying even the plows are getting stuck. Alex is up to her waist in snow, and I'm up to my thighs. I give her the closest car to check on. She's gonna have a tougher time walking in this.

I'm breathing heavy by the time I reach the next car. I knock on the window and give the driver a signal to roll the window down. I show my badge, and he does.

"How you doing?" I ask.

"Okay."

"We got word that even the snow plows are getting stuck. Best thing to do is sit tight and stay warm. Do you have any medical needs or anything?"

He shakes his head.

"Got water?"

He nods.

"Plenty of gas?"

"Yeah, I can keep the heat on for a while."

"Okay, sit tight. They'll get us out of here as quick as they can."

"Thanks."

* * *

By the time I get back to the car, I'm numb all the way up my legs. I climb in, and Alex already has the heater going. She's still wearing her coat.

"Did you have to go far?" She asks me.

I nod. "There was one more I could see, past this one," I say, jerking my head in the direction of the little blue car.

"I got this one and one on the other side," she says. "Visibility is terrible."

"I gave away 3 waters," I say. "How much do we have?"

"Two. I gave away four."

Alex looks at the nearly empty gas gauge, the flashing light on the dash, the cb radio, and then at me. "I wonder how long our battery will hold out pumping juice into all this."

We're following procedure. I shrug indifferently. "Guess we'll have to find out."

She grins at me. "Take a bet on it?" She sees my smile and continues, "20 bucks says we have juice until 7:00."

"I hope we're not stuck here that long," I say, but then I add, "8:00."

We shake on it, and I peel off my gloves.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Earlier I teased her about pissing in the snow. Now I'm feeling bad about it. She's in the back of the vehicle, trying to pee in an old soda cup and I'm sitting in the front trying to keep my eyes closed until she gives me an all clear.

It finally stopped snowing, and though it's dark outside, there's a full moon reflecting off the snow keeping enough light for us to see by. Our power cut off an hour ago, and it's getting cold in here. Damn cold.

I hear her pop the window open in the back and soon after she says, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

She makes her way back to the driver's seat and I hand her the bottle of hand sanitizer from the glove box.

"Thanks," she says, smearing the stuff on her hands. She slips her gloves back on and tosses the little bottle on the console.

I take a look at my cell phone, but the cold has already sapped the battery down to low. "Your phone working?" I ask her.

She looks at hers. "Dead," she says.

I use mine to call in for an update. Nothing new, the plows are moving in our direction, but it's slow going. "Sit tight," they say. The SUV is roomy, but after 6 hours I'm starting to feel like I'm in a sardine can. I push the seat back as far as it will go, which is only a half inch farther than I already had it.

"You're pretty cramped over there," I say.

"I'm okay," she says. She rubs her arms. "Just cold."

A horn starts blaring up ahead. "I'll go," I say. I bundle up and trudge out in the snow, which now is up to my waist. I try to walk wherever it looks more shallow, following some of the same path I walked earlier.

It's the third car up that's bellowing. I forge a new path and get all the way to the driver's window. He rolls his window down.

"What the hell is going on? We've been stranded here for hours?!" he barks at me.

"Are you having an emergency?" I ask him politely.

"I'd say being stuck here is a damn emergency!"

"Sir," I say, and I can't help but smile even though I'd like to punch his lights out about now. After that walk, I can't feel my own testicles. "My partner and I are in the same boat. If you're not having an emergency, I'd appreciate it if you didn't make me walk all the way up here in this snow. The last word we had is they are coming through, but it's slow going." With that, I turn and walk back.

Alex asks me what that was all about, and she can see from the look on my face it was nothing. "Some people," she mutters.

I try to scoop away the snow that has accumulated in between the buttons of my coat and in the pockets of my pants. Next I reach down and try to work on the space between my pants legs and my socks, but it's hopeless. I can't reach well in the car, and my pants are soaked and uncooperative. I lean back and sigh in frustration.

The wind blows and snow drifts across the windshield. Without wipers, we won't be able to see out the window. Our light will be blocked, as well. I check my phone again, but it is wet and cold from my trek through the snow. "Well," I say, tossing the useless phone on the dash, "we're cut off."

Fifteen minutes later my teeth are chattering.

Alex roots around the back of the car and finds the emergency kit. She pulls out the silver plastic-y emergency blanket and shakes it out to full size. Next thing I know, she's in my lap, pulling the blanket over both of us. I can't complain. She's doing it for the warmth, but it feels great all the same.

* * *

It's nearly three in the morning when we're finally rescued. Alex seems fine, but they say they want us to go to the hospital anyway, just to be sure. They're worried about my feet and toes. I'm worried about my testicles.

Alex rides in the same ambulance as me, and I have never been so grateful to be in a warm car. They cut my pants off, the damn things are so wet. The blankets they put over me are like heaven. She's wrapped up in a blanket, too, and looking exhausted.

If it weren't for the tingling in my toes, I could probably go to sleep. They feel like somebody's zapping them with an electrical current.

* * *

They didn't admit me, just kept me in the ER for three more hours while they thawed out my toes. Eames stayed with me the whole time, even though she was declared fine as soon as we got here. I'm given a pair of scrub pants to wear, since my pants are history. The local PD is providing us with a ride to a hotel. I'm glad. I need a nice, warm place to sleep.

"I'm glad it wasn't frostbite," she says as she opens the door to my room. I walk inside and strip my soggy shoes off.

"Me too," I say. The hospital staff called it "frostnip." Close enough.

I'm surprised when she takes her shoes off, too. I watch her as she crawls into my bed and slides under the covers.

"Did you want me to take the other room?" I ask.

"No."

"Uh… Alex?"

"Get in, Bobby. We can both use some sleep."

Who am I to turn down a chance to sleep with the most beautiful girl I know? I strip down to my boxers and climb in beside her. "You won't be uncomfortable with those buttons?" I ask her, glancing at her shirt.

She smiles, and I can see mischief in her eyes. She unbuttons her shirt and takes it off.

I'm sure I smiled. I know I licked my lips. She squirms some more and I realize she's stripping her pants off, too. Lightning goes through me when I feel her bare arm against my chest.

"I guess I like having you to keep me warm," she says.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and the next thing I know, her soft lips are against mine.

I hope we get snowed in.

THE END

* * *

A/N Thanks so much for reading. Please review, I always love to hear what people think!


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